N.B.A. PLAYOFFS

Knicks Bond and Wait Down at the Seashore

By MIKE WISE

Published: May 3, 1997

CHARLESTON, S.C., May 2—
The Knicks used to be the team that played long series and made their foes and NBC wait, but now they are checking their own watches and yawning while Miami and Orlando go the distance.

''Everything's fine,'' Coach Jeff Van Gundy said today. ''We just can't seem to get a game.''

By the time their Eastern Conference semifinal series begins, either Tuesday or Wednesday, the Knicks will not have played for eight or nine days since completing their first-round sweep of Charlotte on Monday. Meanwhile, Tim Hardaway's Heat and Anfernee Hardaway's Magic meet in Game 5 on Sunday to officially end New York's boredom.

The longest previous layoff for the Knicks this season was five days, back in November. Rather than deal with the distractions of the city, they have returned to Van Gundy's coastal hideaway for another post-season retreat.

''We play a lot more five on five,'' Van Gundy said, explaining their practice regimen at Charleston Southern University. ''You're still five days away, so I mean it's like almost monotonous. I thought they'd be much worse in practice, and they weren't. They were pretty good.''

Patrick Ewing was not even attired in practice gear. With Bermuda shorts and a designer T-shirt, he looked as if he was headed to the Caribbean for a week. Like most of his teammates, he is tired of waiting.

''Four days ain't enough,'' Ewing said with a smile when asked if the team had enough time off. ''I need to win a championship and take two months off.''

He proclaimed his knees in good health and did not seem concerned about his team losing focus.

''We talk about it,'' he said. ''We're focused. We know what we have to do. I think it's going to help us for the most part.''

If Miami wins, the one drawback for the Knicks is that they will most likely play Games 3 and 4 on consecutive days next weekend at Madison Square Garden in order to accommodate NBC. If Orlando upsets the Heat, the series would most likely begin in New York on Wednesday because the Rangers have dates with the Devils at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday and Thursday.

''I wanted to be playing this weekend for a number of reasons,'' Van Gundy said. ''One, to get back on track and get to play again. But also, this puts us where most likely we're going to end up playing back-to-back games on the weekend. Even though we've performed well in back-to-back games, I don't think it's in our best interests against either one of those teams to play back to back.''

The layoff has given the Knicks time to break bread together, but this Teammate Encounter stuff is getting old.

''It's a combination of bonding and trying to get yourself away from the distractions of New York,'' Buck Williams said, eyeing the reporters circling him. ''They still follow you down here.''

Van Gundy spoke to Scott Brooks, the reserve point guard, about the layoff Houston had in the 1994 Finals as the Rockets waited for the Knicks to sew up the Eastern Conference championship. Hakeem Olajuwon started slowly in the series before gathering steam and outplaying Ewing down the stretch.

''We've always been the one hurrying in to the next series,'' Van Gundy said. ''I was talking to Scott. They had time off before we played Houston. They had five days off. I remember everybody saying Olajuwon was fatigued in those first two games. So we're trying to avoid that.''